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<v Steve>Hi, this is Steve Webb, your OG Godcaster.

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<v Steve>You're about to hear the LifeSpring Advent Calendar, which was recorded in 2006.

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<v Steve>It's a daily show which will run right up to Christmas Day,

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<v Steve>so be sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode.

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<v Steve>Now, the story of Advent and Christmas is a timeless story, so it doesn't age.

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<v Steve>However, the links and the phone numbers mentioned on the podcast have all changed but one.

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<v Steve>WhyChristmas.com is still current and active,

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<v Steve>and it's the best Christmas information website on the Internet.

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<v Steve>LifeSpringPodcast.com now forwards you to LifeSpringMedia.com.

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<v Steve>And the phone number you'll hear on the show is changed to plus 1-951-732-8511.

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<v Steve>Hello and welcome back.

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<v Steve>This is Day 6, and this is the LifeSpring Advent Calendar, and I'm Steve Webb, your host.

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<v Steve>I'm so glad you're here today.

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<v Steve>We've got a fun show today.

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<v Steve>Let's find out what's behind the door and see what James from WhyChristmas.com has got for us today.

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<v Steve>Santa Claus

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<v James>Steve, because it's St. Nicholas Day. This is the day where lots of children around the world get

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<v James>their presents from St. Nicholas, or as we know him in the USA and UK, Santa Claus or Father

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<v James>Christmas. St. Nicholas's Day is widely celebrated in Europe, especially in the Netherlands. In Holland,

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<v James>he's better known as Sinterklaas, and today he travels to Amsterdam wearing his red bishop's

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<v James>robes. More on that later. He travels with his servant Black Peter. Sinterklaas then rides

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<v James>through Amsterdam on a white horse.

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<v James>No reindeer? Huh.

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<v James>What else can you tell us about Sinterklaas?

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<v James>Last night, on St. Nicholas's Eve,

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<v James>the 5th of December, children would have

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<v James>left their clogs or shoes out to be filled

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<v James>with presents, and they also believe

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<v James>that if they leave some hay and carrots in their

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<v James>shoes for Sinterklaas' horse, they would be

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<v James>left some sweets. Children

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<v James>are told that Black Peter keeps a record

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<v James>of all the things they've done in the past year

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<v James>in a book, and that good children get

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<v James>presents, and bad children get

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<v James>chased by Black Peter with a stick.

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<v James>You can find out more about Sinterklaas on the Holland page

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<v James>over at www.whychristmas.com

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<v Steve>I'll have to check that out, thank you.

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<v Steve>So we know about St. Nicholas in the Netherlands,

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<v Steve>but how and why did he start delivering presents,

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<v Steve>and why has he got so many names?

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<v James>Well, St. Nicholas was originally a 4th century bishop in Myra,

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<v James>and that's a town in what's now Turkey.

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<v James>He was a very kind man and had a reputation for helping the poor

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<v James>and giving secret gifts to people who needed help.

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<v James>The most famous story about how St Nick started to give presents

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<v James>also tells of how the custom of hanging up stockings to get presents first started.

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<v James>It goes like this.

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<v James>There was a poor man who had three daughters.

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<v James>He was so poor that he didn't have enough money for a dowry,

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<v James>so his daughters couldn't get married.

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<v James>But one night, Nicholas secretly dropped a bag of gold down the chimney

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<v James>and into the house for the oldest daughter, so she was then able to marry.

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<v James>This was repeated later for the second daughter.

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<v James>Finally, determined to discover the person who'd given him the money,

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<v James>their father secretly hid by the fire every evening

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<v James>until he caught Nicholas dropping in another bag of gold.

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<v James>Nicholas begged the man not to tell anyone what he'd done

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<v James>because he didn't want to bring attention to himself.

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<v James>But soon the news got out and when everyone received a secret gift,

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<v James>they all said it might be from Nicholas.

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<v James>But what about the stockings?

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<v James>Well, the bags of gold fell into the girl's stockings

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<v James>that were hanging to dry by the fire.

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<v James>Ah, what a great story. I never knew that one.

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<v James>St. Nicholas isn't only the patron saint of children, but also of sailors.

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<v James>Really?

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<v James>In the 16th century, the stories of St. Nicholas became unpopular.

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<v James>But someone had to deliver presents to children at Christmas,

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<v James>so throughout Europe, different people took on the role for a few years.

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<v James>Here in the UK, it was the Old Father Christmas.

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<v James>In France, it was Père Noël, and in Germany, the Christ Child, or Christkind.

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<v James>In the early years of the USA, St Nicholas' name was Chris Kringle.

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<v James>Dutch settlers took their old stories of St Nicholas to the USA with them,

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<v James>and soon Chris Kringle became Sinterklaas, or as we now say, Santa Claus.

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<v James>Don't you just love how language evolves?

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<v James>Good old St Nick became popular again in the Victorian era,

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<v James>when writers, poets and artists rediscovered the old stories.

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<v James>In the new stories and pictures about him,

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<v James>his bishop's robes soon became the hat and coat that he wears today.

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<v James>In 1882, the famous poem A Visit from St. Nicholas was written,

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<v James>and this is where we first learnt the names of his eight reindeer.

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<v James>And they became really well known in 1949,

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<v James>when the song Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was written.

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<v Steve>To add a little more to that story, James,

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<v Steve>Rudolph was created in 1939 by Robert L. May,

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<v Steve>who was a Montgomery Ward copywriter,

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<v Steve>as a Christmas promotional giveaway.

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<v Steve>And then ten years later, May's brother-in-law, Johnny Marks,

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<v Steve>used his little verse as the basis for this very popular song.

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<v James>Some people say that Santa lives in the North Pole,

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<v James>but people in Finland strongly disagree.

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<v James>They're sure that he lives in the north of Finland in Lapland,

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<v James>which is inside the Arctic Circle.

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<v Steve>Well, maybe one is his summer home.

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<v James>So a happy St. Nicholas's Day to one and all,

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<v James>and remember, be good.

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<v James>Oh, you betcha. I don't want to be on his naughty list.

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<v Music>Santa Claus is coming

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<v Music>Santa Claus is coming

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<v Music>Santa Claus is coming

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<v Music>to town

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<v Steve>Well, thanks, James.

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<v Steve>I know I didn't know all that about Kris Kringle or Father Christmas or Père Noelle or...

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<v Steve>Well, I'm just going to call him Santa.

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<v Steve>Hey, please keep listening to the LifeSpring Advent Calendar.

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<v Steve>Today's music was Andy Buscemi with Santa is Coming to Town,

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<v Steve>which you can find at the Podsafe Music Network at music.podshow.com.

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<v Steve>And of course, our theme music is Brian Duncan and the Neil Soul Band.

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<v Steve>Remember, links to all of our music can be found at lifespringpodcast.com.

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<v Steve>Come on back tomorrow.

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<v Steve>We've got another fun show for you at the LifeSpring Advent Calendar.

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<v Steve>And I'm Steve Webb.

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<v Music>This Christmas love just like a song

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<v Music>Brings out the reason

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<v Music>To be sung

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<v Music>Oh yeah

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<v Music>Let this one gift last forever

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<v Music>In the love that I get from you

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<v Music>It never gets old

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<v Music>This Christmas

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<v Music>It's the love I need

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<v Music>And it's what...